Last week’s episode of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live was Rick’s story, and what a story it was! We learned a lot about Rick’s life after that bridge explosion, and I think we also have a good understanding of who and what the CRM is. This week, we learn about Michonne’s journey and the friends she makes in her quest to find Rick.
Gone
I am going to start my review of The Ones Who Live E02 with this mantra, which I will explain in more detail at the conclusion of this review: “Never leave your kids for any man. NEVER!” This week’s episode begins with Michonne (Danai Gurira) rescuing some very nice humans who are part of a traveling caravan of horses, wagons, and trucks. Their leader, Aiden (Breeda Wool), wants Michonne to stay, but our Ninja Warrior doesn’t like the leader’s practice of leaving people behind. Michonne is quickly befriended by Nat (Matthew Jeffers), Bailey (Andrew Bachelor), and Elle (Erin Anderson).
Michonne is intent on traveling north but is advised not to because of the herd of walkers that migrate between a wide corridor going south and north during certain months of the year. They don’t go into detail about why the walkers are migrating, but in nature, animals will migrate because of food and weather. I am hoping to learn more about this phenomenon, especially since we’ve seen more aware walkers in the other Walking Dead spin-offs.
Michonne’s rescue of Bailey and Elle has earned the respect of Nat and many others who decide to follow her up North until she finds Rick. Michonne learns that Elle is pregnant and becomes very protective of her new friend. But I have to say that Matthew Jeffers’ character, Nat, actually stole the whole episode.
Nat is a little person who is a master at fixing things and exploding up stuff. The bond between Nat and Michonne is strong, especially after their group is attacked by CRM copters that douse them with poisonous gas. After Michonne finds Rick’s boots, Nat tells her that it is okay to go home…to know when to go. But Michonne is not one to give up. What we have watched up to this point is from when Michonne left Alexandria to when Nat blows up the copter that Rick was in.
Conclusion with Spoilers
I wasn’t expecting to love The Ones Who Live as much as I am doing, but here I am after 11 years of loyalty to The Walking Dead, still learning that I can be surprised by this series. I’m not going to give too much away for this episode, except to say, people die. We met some really great characters in this episode, but the curse of TWD Universe got to them. Now…let me explain my statement about mothers never leaving their children for any man. My mother left me and my siblings and ran off with one of her boyfriends.
She moved three thousand miles away to sunny California. She left us for a man. It still hurts even though I am a great grandmother and older than dirt. That said, Michonne left her children to find Rick. I have extreme difficulty accepting this. When she finds Rick (Andrew Lincoln), he tells her to pretend she is someone else…new name, no mention of Alexandria…don’t mention the word, walkers. Copters are on the way, and she has to pretend that she is his prisoner.
Rick is trying to convince Michonne to “blend in” until they can escape. Michonne is interviewed and accepted by the CMR as a worker bee. But someone knows who she is. Someone we know is also watching this interview.
I keep thinking of Nat…and the last thing he asked Michonne.
Has Rick settled into the CRM life? Is he really looking for an escape plan? I can tell you right now, Michonne was never the type of person that “blended in.”